Other Self Online
by Demons Anarchy of Pride
Summary: Title Says It All. Read and Review, all comments accepted... except flames!
1. First Sequence: New Game

**Other Self Online**

_Character analysis... Initializing._

_Avatar system confirmed._

_Player login identified._

_Body calibration complete._

_Please enter user name._

[Zero]

_User name confirmed._

_**Welcome to Sword Art Online.**_

Chapter 01: New Game+

"Hey, Kirito... what should we do?"

"I've got no idea. You think he got knocked by a monster?"

"Maybe. Still, he's pretty strange."

"What was your first clue? The fact that he did his hair blue?"

"Hey, that's just mean!"

Minato groaned as he felt as if he had just awoken from a nap, which wasn't quite far from the truth. His body was aching, and worst of all, someone had just someone thought he did his hair blue. He wasn't sure why, but it ticked him off. It was his natural hair color, so why was someone going and telling him that he dyed it?

Opening his eyes, he found himself looking at two people. One was a handsome young man with the fringe of his dark hair hiding his right eye slightly. He wore what Minato thought to be armor, as there was a metal guard over his chest, a blade on his back, and leather boots. His shirt was pale blue, and Minato couldn't tell if he was in some kind of fantasy novel or something, as the boy was ridiculous.

His friend, on the other hand, was an older man with light brown hair, which was wild, and the red bandana around his forehead didn't help any. Like the younger man, he wore similar attire, except his shirt was pinkish red, and the sword on his back was curved, not straight like the younger man's sword. He was also slightly taller as well.

"Hey, he's awake!" the older man said, showing surprise and relief. Minato frowned as he stood up on wobbly legs, and the rest of him was hurting. It felt as if he had been slammed into the wall by a truck, or hit by one, he wasn't sure which one hurt worse. "Man, we were worried about you!"

'Man, we were worried about you!' That sounded strangely familiar? Had someone said that to him before? If they had, he wouldn't have remembered. It seemed like he couldn't remember anything at all. "So, what are you doing here all by yourself?" the younger man asked curiously. The older man sighed at his friend's remark before waving his hand.

"Don't mind Kirito here! He's, how do you say, very blunt." the older man said, rubbing the back of his neck before offering his hand to him. "I'm Klein, by the way."

After Minato took Klein's hand, the younger man named Kirito offered his. "Kirito. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Minato said before looking around. The sky was setting, however he noticed that the place he was in was definitely not Gekkoukan High's rooftop or the hospital, or his room. The field around him was a plain of glass with a clear view what could only be described as some kind of large ship/tower out in the distance, and the sky painted red-orange. "Um... where are we?"

Klein and Kirito looked at each other before turning back to Minato, confusion plastered on your face. "Uh, this is gonna sound odd, by when did you enter?"

"Enter?"

"Yeah, you know. Log in!" Klein said. "Before you came log in, it asks you for your user name and all that, along with your body measurements and all that. You don't remember any of that?"

Minato shook his head. "Um, no... I don't remember any of that."

Kirito frowned at this, his eyes narrowed before placing himself into what looked like a thinking position. Klein, on the other hand, looked confused as he scratched his neck, not sure what to say. Finally, Minato noticed something _very_ strange. At the upper left corner of his sight, he saw a long green bar with the name "Zero" written along the bottom. Around Kirito and Klein's heads were green bars as well, however over them was a green cursor. _'What in the world?'_

"What do you remember last?" Kirito finally asked.

Minato frowned and tried to think back. His mind was in complete disarray. His memory was completely jumbled. He recalled faces, places, names, but all of them were scattered. A boy with a baseball cap, the inside of a gigantic mall with three fountains, a girl wearing a pink cardigan, a girl with fiery red hair, a gigantic tower with a green moon standing behind it, and a girl with blonde hair and striking blue eyes.

Before long, Minato had to grab his head, too many memories beginning to swell up in his mind too fast. Klein suddenly bent over in worry. "Whoa, hey now! You okay?" he asked quickly, not sure what was happening.

"My head..." Minato groaned, kneeling down while shutting his eyes tightly. Kirito knelt down next to him, wondering what on Earth happened. He tried to think of the possibilities, as he normally did. If what he thought was right, then Minato was having trouble remembering. It may have been problems in the system when Minato logged in, or he might have accidentally have done something wrong while in the log in process.

"Don't try and remember all at once man!" Klein insisted once Minato felt the memories beginning to fade away. "But still, you don't remember anything?" All he got was a shake of the head. "Dude, that has to suck."

Kirito nodded in agreement once he helped Minato to his feet. "Well, I guess we should start at the beginning..."

* * *

><p>Once Minato had absorbed all of the information, he looked at the two boys before taking a look at himself. He was dressed in a similar attire with a metal guard over his chest, worn brown slacks with bandages wrapped around the right thigh, black boots, and a black long sleeve shirt. Strapped to his back was instead of a blade a long bow, almost as big as he was, and strapped to the back of his hip were several arrows, easily a few dozen. According to Klein and Kirito, his hair was aqua blue, long and reaching down to his shoulderblades, tied back into a ponytail. He also had emerald green eyes, and along his neck was a black choker with what looked like an open wing on the right side. No wonder Kirito commented on his hair, even he thought it looked strange. What possessed him to have aqua colored hair?<p>

"And that sums up the gist of it." Klein said, shrugging his shoulders with that smile on his face still plastered. He had it on him once Minato looked interested about the part about this being a game. He guessed that the green bar was his Health Bar, and the name below it his screen name. He also noticed that he was level 99, which made him confused. If this was just the tutorial, then why was he so freaking strong already? Isn't that game breaking or something? "Anyway, the thing that separates SAO from other MMORPG's like Innocent Sin-" Now that rung a bell somewhere. Wasn't there someone named Maya from that game? "-is that it doesn't have any sort of magic system! Cool, huh?"

"No magic?" Minato asked, surprised at that. He would have figured that the game would have magic involved, like most RPG's such as Innocent Sin, Odin's Sphere, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Disgaea, and other games such as those. "At all?"

"None whatsoever." Kirito stated. "The game has a total of 100 floors, though I only got to the 10th floor before the Beta ended."

Minato could only imagine what the other floors were like. While they explained it, Minato noticed that there were a couple of monsters that resembled boars and wolves wandering about, but paid them little attention. "So then, ring any bells so far, Minato?" Klein asked him, shaking him from his thoughts.

Sadly, Minato shook his head before looking up at the sky. On a hunch, he did what they showed him earlier and made a tapping gesture with his right hand. Appearing in front of him was a menu of some kind. There were several options at his choosing.

**Items**

**Skills**

**Equipment**

**Map**

**Stats**

**Library**

**Friends**

**Party**

**Options**

Giving them a quick scan, he looked at what he was given. Since it was a tutorial, he had a minimal amount of money, rather weak equipment, and standard weapons. Other than a bow, he was also equipped with gauntlets, a spear, a blade, and an axe. He had 5 healing crystals, 2 antidote crystals, 3 warp crystals, and a few other items which were apparently clothing. He also noted that the time and date was listed on the upper right corner of the menu, right above the Items selection of the menu. [5:04 PM, April 28th, 2010]

"Crap, is it that time already?" Klein said suddenly after checking his own menu screen. "I'd better head back! My pizza's waiting for me right about now!" Minato saw Klein click on the menu screen item "options", and swiped his finger to the right. Another screen appeared, however this one was limited to only four items. Klein's face frowned as he went back to the previous screen, and then swiped back to the original. His frown didn't leave. "Hey, where's the log out button?"

"It should be at the bottom of the "options" list." Kirito said before opening his own menu. However, a confused look appeared on his face before looking down at the last item at the "options" list. Minato swiped back to the main menu and opened the "options" menu. There were simple settings such as subtitles, language, brightness setting, volume, cursor icon, and simple things. Then, he saw that the very last item at the bottom of the list was blank.

"Hey, shouldn't there be something at the last item?" Minato asked curiously before looking back at the two.

"So, it's not just me then?" Klein asked, both somewhat happy that he wasn't suffering the problem and worried about what it meant. "Is it some kind of glitch or something?"

"It... Could be." Kirito said, uncertain as well before closing the menu. "Or it might be a bug. I'm sure the company is working on it."

However, just then, the sound of a bell echoed across the field. Kirito and Klein looked over at the ship/tower, or the main area where players started out. The monsters in the area were alerted by the sound, but rather than attacking them, the simply moved away, as if afraid. "What the heck?" Klein noticed before he was enveloped in light.

"K-Klein!" Minato shouted, however the same happened with Kirito. Before Minato could do anything, the light enveloped him as well, and before he knew it, the whole world around him went blank.

* * *

><p>"Sword Art Online?" Yukari asked as she set down her things on the sofa. "You mean that new game that came out?"<p>

"You bet!" Junpei said excitedly. He took out a small case from his slacks and presented it to her. "I got myself a copy the day it hit the shelves! I also bought a couple other copies, in case you're wondering, Yuka-tan!"

Yukari sighed, remembering that Junpei played video games and not actual sports. However, she couldn't deny that she was slightly curious about it, considering it was the first game for the Net Gear system software. The screenshots and the reviews were impressive, according to Ken, and the chance to play it was certainly enticing. However, of course, she wished that _he_ could play it too. Knowing him, he would say that he would be slightly interested in it, and then get hooked. That's how he was...

The month had gone by rather quickly, and S.E.E.S was slowly changing for the better. In time, Mitsuru had planned it on becoming an unofficial group called "the Shadow Operatives", who's primary goal was the destruction of Shadows. Yukari had definitely matured in that time, but the one that had matured more than anyone she knew was Junpei. He would hardly ever joke, and when he did, they weren't all that funny... Then again, when were they EVER funny?

"Come on, I know you're interested!" Junpei said, as if trying to convince her to play it, even waving it in front of her face. "So, how about it?"

Yukari sighed as her shoulders slumped. "You're going to annoy me until I finally agree, even if I don't say yes." Junpei grinned at this, even giving a loud whoop. "So, how many copies did you buy? I'm guessing you roped Akihiko-san into this too?"

Junpei shook his head in disappoint mean, sighing heavily before shrugging. "He and Mitsuru-senpai are away on business. Something about Kirijo Research, the usual boring stuff. I wanted to invite Ai-chan, but she was with them too. Ken's with us, if you're wondering!"

"So three copies." Yukari said, her eyes wide while impressed with him. "How much did that cost you?"

"Enough to sold a soul to the Devil." Junpei grinned before heading to the stairs. "Wait here, I'm grabbing Ken! He's waiting in my room!"

Yukari nodded, however once she registered the sentence, her cheeks turned red while her eyes narrowed. "If you want me to go into your room..."

Junpei immediately raised his hands in defense, shaking them high in the air while his head shook violently. "No no no no no no!" he denied fiercely. "Nothing like that! Besides, why would I do that with Ken in the room? I'm not risking getting killed, thank you!"

Yukari sighed at his antics before heading to her room to grab the Nerve Gear software. However, when she reached the second floor, her eyes wandered to the room at the end of the hall. It looked empty, the doorknob covered in dust, and the nameplate gone.

"Hey..." Junpei's voice shook her thoughts away from the door and to the young man, who lost his pale face and a serious expression on his face. "I miss him too, ya know." Junpei said, his words completely sincere. "I'd give anything for him to be here, hell I would take his place on that god damn seal if I could."

"I know that, Junpei..." Yukari said, forcing herself not to cry. Her nails were digging into the skin of her palms, even biting her lower lip. "But... I wish I could see him, if only once..."

Little did they know that they're wish would soon be granted...

* * *

><p>Once the world resurfaced to Minato, he saw that they were gone from the grass plain field, and instead in what looked like a gigantic city with a large bell tower standing high in the air. However, that wasn't the only thing that surprised him. Standing all around them were various people, all dressed in similar manners. "Wait, the Town of Beginnings?" Klein blurted out, confused and uncertain to how they got here.<p>

"A forced summoning..." Kirito said, not sure how to look at this. "But, how? No one used a Warp Crystal, did they?" Minato and Klein shook their heads before looking up at the sky once the bell toll had ended. The sky was now colored more red than orange, however what caused Minato to frown was a small strand of red. When he focused more on it, he noticed that the word WARNING was written across the strand.

Then, the entire sky was covered by red. The single strand grew larger and larger before it had spread across the entire sky, turning it into a blood red color. "W-what the hell's going on here?" Klein asked, shocked by this. Minato, despite not remembering much of anything, definitely knew that this was not apart of the game. "Is this apart of the tutorial?"

Soon, blood began to leak between the strands of red, flowing down until they became a large shape adorned in red. It looked like a human, wearing a flowing red cloak with white gloves, yet the face was gone, nothing but a black empty void. "What in the hell is that?" Minato asked, tacking a step back. Had he not known any better, the being before them looked like a Shadow.

...Shadow?

"**Welcome, players."** the being said. Its voice was male, but also booming as well, echoing across the whole field. **"Welcome to Sword Art Online. I am Kayaba Akihiko, the one responsible for creating this game."**

"Wait, THAT'S Kayaba Akihiko?" Kirito's eyes widened considerably as he couldn't let his eyes leave the being now named Akihiko. "I know him. He's the man that created the entire game system by himself, he's a genius in terms of virtual reality."

Minato didn't see it that way. Something about him reminded him of a man with slicked back brown hair and glasses, and eyes filled with madness. **"I am sure that most of you, even the Beta-Testers, must have noticed one item missing from the "options" menu. I assure you, this is not a glitch in the game. Rather, this was how SAO was designed."**

"Wait, what?" Minato frowned further upon hearing that. Why would he create a game where you couldn't get out? The only way you could get out of the game was if you were to die. However, just as he thought this, Kayaba continued on with his explanation.

"**My purpose for creating SAO was to create a world of my own."** A world he decided, Minato thought, anger beginning to rise within him. **"However, there is one thing you must know before beginning the true Sword Art Online. Not even the destruction of your Avatar will return you to the real world. If you die here, in SAO, then you will die in the real world as well."**

"WHAT!" came the resounding yell from all of the people in the city plaza. Even Minato was at a loss for words, Klein looked as if he had just been told that he would never again get pizza, and Kirito looked shaken, his body shaking violently.

"**By now, those in the real have already realized that none of you have come out of SAO, and have tried to remove the head gear. If one were to try and remove it, then the microchips within the headgear will immediately terminate you. Sad to say, but over 200 players have already lost their lives because of this..."**

"H-he has to be joking!" Klein said, eyes wide in horror. "There's no way that can be true, right?"

"No, it is..." Kirito said emotionlessly. "The microchips within the head gear connect the brain's neural interface with cyberspace. Essentially put, if the microchip lets out a certain frequency, then it will fry our brains..."

"N-no way..." Klein's eyes widened again. "T-this has got be some kind of sick joke..."

"So, what you're telling us is that you made this world that you alone can govern?!" Klein and Kirito, as well as the other players looked at Minato with large eyes, who's pent up anger had finally been unleashed. "Just who the hell do you think you are?! Some kind of God?! No one has the right to mess around with other people's lives! This isn't a game, you sick bastard!"

"**Haha, how true."** Kayaba said lightly. **"However, you misunderstand. I do not fancy myself a god, nor do I wish to control people's lives as I see fit. I simply wished to create a world of my own, a world made with my own hands. Its also through this that I wish to accomplish another goal: to grant the one that saved the real world from destruction a second chance."**

Everyone frowned by his words. "Grant the hero that saved our world from destruction a second chance?" Klein repeated, not understanding his words. "The hell's that mean?"

"**You all have heard the rumor about the hidden hour, the Dark Hour. I shall tell you now that it DOES exist. Over a year ago, a group of people fought to protect the real world from destruction, and one of these people gave his own life. The purpose of SAO is to give this person another chance to live. However, there is but one condition for this. In order to return to the real world, to return to your old lives, you must clear the game... by completing Floor 100."**

"Wait, you can't be serious!" Klein shouted in disbelief, something that other players shared. "No one, not even the Beta-Testers, made it that far! Only one person out of all of them reached Floor 10!"

"**Only one person needs to reach Floor 100. Once they have cleared it, the game will be completed, and you will all be able to return to your daily lives."** Kayaba stated once more, as if not even being interrupted. **"You were all given an item when you logged in. Please, open it."**

Minato and the other two players frowned before complying, opening the "item" menu. Right there at the top, with the marker "NEW ITEM!" hovering next to it was something called Hand Mirror. _'What do we need with a mirror?'_ Minato thought as he tapped on the item and gave the OK. Appearing in his hand was a mirror, certainly bigger than a hand mirror. However, it wasn't until that a light began to emanate from it that Minato soon learned its purpose. The light shined from the other player's mirrors, and soon covered the entire plaza.

Once the light died down, Minato finally opened his eyes, however he didn't see any change. "Hey, Klein, you okay?" Minato turned to the two that had found him, only to see that they had been replaced.

"Yeah, I am- Wait, who are you?" Klein(?) asked, blinking and pointing a finger at him.

Kirito was now slightly shorter than what he was, and his hair was more sleek and straight, covering the base of his neck and hanging off of his forehead. Now, instead of some handsome guy from a fantasy novel, he looked like a pretty boy teenager. Klein, on the other hand, was now the same height as Kirito, younger as well with his hair slicked up, and a goatee along his chin.

"What happened to you guys?" Minato asked. The two looked at him, and their eyes widened. Minato already had a feeling what they were shocked about, but looked into the mirror.

He was now younger, 18 or 19 maybe. His aqua blue hair was gone, replaced with a darker shade that hid his right eye and the base of his neck. His eyes were steely blue, hard and fiery. It almost scared Minato himself. However, what he noticed was that over his face was a black cloth in the form of an X, going over his right eye, touching the right corner of his mouth, down to the lower left side of his jaw, and under his left eye, almost touching the retina.

"**This marks the end of the tutorial..."** Kayaba stated. His body, if it even was, soon began to twisted and warp as it reached toward the red ceiling. It returned to its original bloody form before slipping its way back into the cracks of the strands. **"Please enjoy the rest of Sword Art Online..."**

With that last message, the red sky was gone. Now, it was back to its original form, a reddish orange tinted sky. Everyone threw into fits of panic while Minato, Klein, and Kirito were unable to think of how they should feel. They knew he had no reason to lie. What would he have to gain from telling them that they wouldn't be able to return to the real world by dying?

"What are we going to do...?" Minato asked himself quietly. Then, he had to ask himself another question, something he should have asked a long time ago.

"Just what the hell did I get myself into?"

CHAPTER END

Next time: Rogues and Beaters


	2. Second Sequence:

**Other Self Online**

_Character analysis... Initializing._

_Avatar system confirmed._

_Player login identified._

_Body calibration complete._

_Please enter user name._

[Ace]

_User name confirmed._

_**Welcome to Sword Art Online.**_

Chapter 02: Master of Strings Reborn

Junpei had to groan as he cracked his shoulders, taking a seat down on a stone bench in the stadium. It wasn't very crowded, however he wasn't here for a game to take place. "Nice to see you guys again!" the man at the bottom of the stadium said with a jovial tone. He had light blue hair and dressed in knight's garb, with a shield and sword strapped to his back. "I'm Diabel, and my class is a knight!"

"Dude, there's no class system in SAO!" one of the people shouted, though they understood his joke. After the announcement a couple of days ago, everyone had been put on edge. Of course, this made Junpei wish he hadn't bought the game if he knew that this was going to happen. Yukari was livid, and Ken didn't seem to take it hard, since he had faced worse situations. However, they had to be careful, since in real life, you could always be brought back with Samerecarm or Recarm, but SAO didn't have magic, so things would be pretty tight around here.

"Well, all joking aside..." Diabel said, deciding to get down to business. "You all know why we're here. We just got word that one of the recon teams we sent out has just found the first boss room!"

Junpei smiled as he jumped up and gave a whoop. "Sweet! What are we waiting for?" he asked, making a home-run gesture. "We go, we kick its butt, and we leave! Easy, right?"

"As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, Ace..." Diabel said, chuckling a bit. Ace was the name Junpei thought of, while Yukari's was Sakura, and Ken's was Faith. Junpei just chose the name Ace because, well, he was Junpei. "We're going to have to be careful about this one. We know next to nothing about it, that's why we-"

"Hold a minute there!"

A shout from above caught everyone's attention. Standing atop the entrance to the stadium was a teen, dressed in a red shirt with an iron guard, metal bracers strapped to his arms, and iron greaves. At his side was a black mace, and strapped to his back was a round shield. His face was rugged and worn as if he had been out in the sun for too long without tanning, and his hair was stubbed and had miniature spikes. "I've got something to say!"

The teen jumped down to the bottom of the stadium. When he turned to face everyone, Junpei saw the fierce, angry look in his eyes. "I really couldn't care less how we deal with the boss on this floor, but there are people we should be taking care of first! Like those Beta-Testers!"

"Whoa, hey!" Junpei protested, standing up and glaring back at the boy. "What gives? How the hell were they supposed to know that this was gonna happen? Actually, who the frack are you?!"

"My name is Kibaou!" the teen stated in almost a snarl. "And for your information, we haven't seen a single Beta-Tester helping us out at all! They just went up and probably headed to the places where they could get more money and experience! In fact, I bet you there are Beta-Testers who are here right now!" Kibaou argued.

Junpei had seen people like this guy before when he was on his way here. They were afraid, scared like he was, and they were looking for someone to blame. People who invited them to play the game, people that didn't tell them what happened before playing if the former was already inside, and the Beta-Testers. Kibaou must have thought they left them to die, but Junpei knew better than that. "I say we have them give up all of their items and money, and leave them here!" Kibaou shouted again. People were looking at each other, not sure who to trust. It was then that Junpei noticed that one of the people in the crowd was somewhat shaking, his hands beginning to tighten while shaking. _'He must be one of the Beta-Testers.'_ Junpei thought, but said nothing.

"Hold up a sec there." someone in the crowd said in a deep voice. Standing up was a man with an iron guard and gauntlets reaching to his elbows, and metal greaves reaching below the knees. At his back was a axe and shield. His skin was dark and tan, no hair on his domed head, and his face stern and staunch. "Let me get something straight here. You say that its the Beta-Testers fault that we're in this Death Game, right?" the tall man asked. Junpei recognized him as Agil, one of the adult players. If he remembered right, Agil, or Andrew in real life, was a bartender over at Club Escapade. He let Minato work there for a while, now that he remembered. "And that we should have them leave all of their stuff here for us. I leave anything out?"

"No, you got everything." Kibaou said, not losing that fierce glare of his.

Agil removed something from his pocket, and Junpei smiled. It was a small brown book, or as he knew it, a Guide Book. Someone handed those books out when they left the Town of Beginnings, and Junpei couldn't have been more than happy than to know what to expect. Along the way he grinded, and got to Level 7. His sword skills were a bit sluggish, but they weren't anything to sniff at either!

"This is a Guide Book that was being handed out by a few people in the Town of Beginnings." Agil said, still holding the book up. "You know who was passing these out? The Beta-Testers."

Everyone let out a collective gasp before looking at their Guide Books. Diabel looked slightly happy, meaning that he had hoped that someone would step up to speak for the Beta-Testers. Kibaou, on the other hand, didn't look the least bit happy as he growled and turned away, marching his way to the steps and taking a seat. Junpei had to hold in a snicker when he saw several people glare at the man.

"Okay then..." Diabel cleared his throat before taking out his own Guide Book. "According to the Guide Book, the boss has four live bars, a mace, and a buckler. Once it's HP is in the red zone, it switches to a large, curved blade, and its attack patterns change." Snapping the book shut, Diabo looked at everyone in front of him. "From what we know, this boss is surrounded by its minions, so here's our plan. We'll form into six parties, three will attack the boss, and the other three will deal with the grunts. If you guys have enough money, buy plenty of items and equipment! We're gonna need all the help we can get!"

Everyone nodded, however Junpei was freaking out. _'A party?! Are you freaking kidding?! How the hell am I supposed to form a party?! I mean, take a look at me? Sure, I can swing and knock 'em down, but working with others is...'_ Junpei's mind immediately raced back to his friend, the one he would give anything to see again. Back then, Junpei was always trying to prove what he was made of, and other times he would fail. But "he" was different. He was smart, kind, charming; he was everything that Junpei wasn't. However, he did have one flaw, the poor bastard didn't know if a girl liked him until she confessed her feelings to him. Yet the man was his dearest, no his best friend, and nothing could ever have changed that fact.

And that was one reason why he worked alone after the incident with the Abyss of Time. Anything that revolved around him was gone, his room cleaned out, the door locked, and the nameplate tossed in the trash. It was like they were trying to forget about him while moving on. But it wasn't that simple, after all they each had something that would never be replaced... memories of the times they spent together.

Whenever he got the time, Junpei would visit him at the hospital, like how he did with Chidori. She went with him sometimes, wondering on how he was doing, and also to thank him for letting her meet the man of her dreams. Chidori would draw sketches of him, in fact in one portrait, detailed and more beautiful than the portrait of Junpei, his best friend stood at the top of Tartarus with his evoker in hand, and beside him stood a tall, glistening figure adorned in white, red, and gold with a large lyre strung on the back.

When he "died", Junpei had refused to work with anyone else except Aigis. How could anyone replace him?

Junpei sighed, scratching his head and looking around for anyone he could form a party with, since this would be a one-time deal. It was then that his eyes found two people, the Beta-Tester and a figure dressed in red. There was one other person with them though, and it was this person that made Junpei almost lose his eyeballs from how wide they were, and the color of his face draining away.

Sitting beside one of the Beta-Testers was a boy his age, with "his" face, as well as the same hair. The only difference was that he had some kind of clothing on his face in the shape of an X, almost like some kind of branding of sorts. _'You gotta be kidding me...'_ Junpei thought in disbelief. _'I-is that... No, it can't be him. I mean, he's still in the hospital, isn't he...?'_

Junpei snapped himself out of his thoughts as he stood up, glancing at the three. _'They must be forming a party...'_ he thought. _'Numbers are good, I guess... So, I'll try my luck with these guys.'_

Junpei got up and walked over them. The one with the feminine look seemed to notice him and stood up. "I guess you're a solo player too?" he asked.

Junpei chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Eh, something like that." Junpei said as he offered his hand. "I know a lot of people here must be solo, but its only one time, right?"

The boy nodded, shaking the young man's hand. "I'm Kirito. This is Zero."

The boy with "his" face said, taking the boy's hand afterward. "Nice to meet you."

Now that Junpei saw him closely, Zero and "him" were the same in terms of looks, however Zero looked like a younger version of him. His hair neared his chin and hid most of his right eye, and the lining of his hair almost reached the base of the neck. "He", on the other hand, had slightly longer hair, covering the base of his neck and almost reaching his shoulders, and hid the entire right half of his face, going past his chin. And then came the X-shaped clothing over his face. Who in their right mind would put that on? Certainly not "him".

Junpei let go of Zero's hand, and turned to the one in the cloak. He could already tell that it was a girl, just by her body shape and hair. "Nice to meet ya..." Junpei said, feeling the already awkward pause coming. "I'm Ace, what's yours?"

Instead of answering, the girl got up and left, leaving Junpei sweat dropping. "Not very chatty, is she?"

Zero nodded and slipped his hands into his pockets. "She seems like the one to keep things to herself."

Kirito chuckled and nodded. "I hear that."

* * *

><p>Later on that day, or rather that night, the whole group had decided to spend a night over by the nearest town's inn, and ironically enough, Diabel and Kibaou had practically hit it off. Junpei was surprised, considering that Diabel was a Beta-Tester as well. It didn't take him much to figure it out, considering how he acted when Kibaou announced that all Beta-Testers should give up all their belongings.<p>

And Yukari had the nerve to call him Ace Defective! Hah!

"They sure look lively." Zero commented as he took a bite out of the loaf of bread. Junpei had to agree, since the three of them, along with their mystery guest, Asuna Kirito said her name was?, had moved away from the festivities. Kirito had been chowing down on his food while Junpei savored it while putting on some of his favorite jam that he got from the last quest he did back in the previous town. "Ace, was it? So, why did you join our group? I mean, me and Kirito are more like loners, and..." he glanced over at Asuna.

"Loner." the girl answered blankly.

The three of them sweat dropped at that. "Well, I guess it was because you three looked strong." Junpei answered honestly. Of course, there was also another reason he joined up with the group. It was the resemblance between Zero and "him". Zero looked like "him" in almost every way, at least when he was younger, and without that long hair to boot. "Besides, you kind of look like an old friend of mine."

That seemed to catch both Kirito and Zero's attention. Zero's eyes, Junpei noted, somehow a sense of hope in them, while Kirito was curious. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah. He was a hell of a looker. Dude, you should have seen how many looks he got at school! I'm tellin' ya, the man practically had developed a fan club dedicated to him!"

Kirito actually sweat-dropped at that, not sure even how to respond to that. Asuna looked a bit interested in his story, while Zero looked at Junpei blankly. "...seriously?"

"Yeah, he was also my wingman when we were swingin' after the ladies..." Junpei chuckled. "Though it was more like I was the one dragging him along."

"Wow, Ace..." Kirito said hesitantly. "That's kind of, uh..."

"Perverted." Asuna finished with finality, glaring slightly at him.

Junpei chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, okay! No menchi beams!"

"So, he was like you're best friend?" Zero asked curiously. Junpei nodded. "He must have been something from the way you talk about him."

"Dude, you kidding? He was AWESOME!" Junpei said proudly, causing the two males to look at him curiously. "He was the coolest best bud you could have asked for! He's saved my rear end more times than I could count! Man, weren't those the days! Plus, he was sort of like the older brother of the group... at least, when we got out of that hot springs..." Junpei actually shivered in the memory of that event. "It was a miracle that we never had to endure one of Mitsuru-senpai's executions..."

As if the name itself made him quiver in fear, Zero actually started to sweat. "E-executions?!"

"Yeah, Mitsuru-senpai was by far the most cold-hearted Ice Queen you will ever meet in this life..." Junpei sighed as he sat down on beside Asuna. "So, enough about me. What about you, Asuna?"

Said girl looked at him in surprise, as if she never expected him to know her name. "How do you know that?"

"Dude, you're kidding, right?" Junpei said in disbelief, pointing to his health bar. "You're name is listed under you're own health bar! Same goes for party members too!"

Asuna's eyes widened briefly before she started to giggle. "Wow, I guess I'm still pretty new to this."

Junpei cracked a smile. Now THAT is how a girl should act! Not some always-serious girl that does things her own way! While he may have been a loner, he had good reason to be. He just couldn't let people in after "he" fell asleep. If it was Aigis, then maybe, but anyone else but her, not even his old teammates, all bets were off.

"So, what's the plan for the boss fight?" Zero asked, bringing Junpei out of his thoughts.

While having a four-man party was good and all, it meant major problems along the way. For one thing, there was the matter of strategy. Normally it would be easier for a two or three man party, there was the matter of who would have what role. Normally, you would have one person cast magic, supporting the one doing all the fighting while the third would hang back in the rear and provide healing.

Sword Art Online didn't have magic, meaning everyone had to participate in battle, with their only means of support being the bow and arrow while the other would distract the enemy, leaving it open for critical strikes.

"Well, Kirito and I are pretty more geared for straight on fighting," Zero said as he crossed his arms, leaning against the wall as he gave the matter some thought before answering in a tone that seemed all too similar to 'his'. "So we'll go in head first. What about you two?"

Asuna parted her cloak to reveal a rapier at her side with a finely crafted hilt. "I'm good for the front lines, but my rapier is more towards speed than actual combat." The girl admitted, but surprisingly, Kirito smiled at that.

"In that case, you can switch with us when the enemy is about to attack." Kirito stated, leaving the girl confused by the term 'switch' until Zero answered her question that was left unspoken.

"Switching is when you tag in for a teammate while your still in a party. Actually, a rapier is a good weapon. You only need one hand to wield it, and it's pretty quick. If the stats about the boss is right, then we can anticipate its moves and take it out in no time."

"Oi, what about me?" Junpei whined, catching the three's attention. "Am I chopped liver or something?!"

"Oh, sorry Ace." Kirito apologized, chuckling at Junpei's ire. This seemed to irk him somewhat, as it seemed like that he was comedy relief more than anything else. "We didn't mean to leave you out. So, what kind of weapon do you use?"

Junpei smiled proudly as he opened up his menu and accessed the Equipment "item", browsing through it before clicking on his currently equipped weapon of choice. In a brief flash of light, a two-handed sword appeared in his hand, which was equally as tall as he was. The blade was steel silver with a golden hilt, carrying a crimson red gem embedded into the center of the hilt and carrying a red handle. The blade was broad, almost the same width as Junpei himself. "Leave the big blade he brings out to me! Ya won't be disappointed!" Junpei stated with a smirk, leaving the three to laugh, but had agreed to his request.

After the short strategy meeting, the four were finally left to themselves as they joined in on the festivities, which was partially due to Zero's insistence. While mostly looking emo in Junpei's opinion, the kid was actually very fun to be around. Asuna had decided to stick around by kept her distance from the others, joining in very rarely while Junpei tried his hands at the games, only to suck miserably (which is ironic considering he is by far the biggest gamer nerd in the world as there was no game he sucked at... except Minecraft. He refused to play that crappy excuse of a MMORPG). Kirito, on the other hand, had managed to get along well with both Diabel and Kibaou, only observing the others as Zero was on a winning streak at the ring-throwing contest.

"Come on, Zero!" Kirito shouted at the blue haired player with a grin. "Knock 'em all dead!"

Zero grinned back as he and Junpei grabbed the last of the rings and locked on to the small posts. This would be the last game for the night, then they would rest up for the fight against the boss.

Giving each other a grin, Junpei and Zero gave the rings a good toss, both of which flying high into the air like birds...

* * *

><p>The next day, the band marched inside the boss area with weapons at the ready. Everyone was looking anxious at the upcoming battle, some in excitement and others in worry. Kayaba himself stated that death in the game means death in the real world, and a lot of people just couldn't see a way out of the game other than death. Junpei had seen it far too often, despite the game having only begun for only a week at best.<p>

Over 400 players, since the 200 casualties from the first day SAO began, had either died because they were foolhardy and went up against enemies they stood no chance against, or they had enough of this game, and leaped over the edge of the Town of Beginnings, ending their own life.

Junpei clenched his fists tightly at the memory, but he soon relaxed when he saw the worried look over Zero's eyes. "Sorry, didn't mean to act up like that." Junpei apologized, trying to pass off a grin.

"You know," Zero said, his voice not as emotionless as it had been up until now; rather it was serious, the exact same way that "he" spoke. "You don't have to hide it. Everyone here is afraid of dying, but we're not going to give up, just like that, are we?"

Junpei's eyes widened at that. Good lord, how similar could these two get? It was almost as if the two were actually the same! Nonetheless, Junpei smiled at his new friend's thoughtfulness and nodded. "Yeah, you got that right. Besides, Ken and Yuka-tan would have my head on a pike if I went and died on 'em!"

"Ken?" Kirito frowned. "Yuka-tan?"

"My friends." Junpei explained to him. "They both joined up with me when we started Sword Art Online. Ken's been bouncing off the walls for three months waiting for it to come out, I'm telling ya. Yuka-tan, on the other hand, owed me, so this was the least she could do. Never told you my real name, did I?"

"Isn't that, I dunno, rude?" Asuna questioned with a curious look, only to receive a large grin from the older boy.

"Nah, never really cared all that much. Junpei Iori, nice to meet you guys after this whole... thing..." Junpei blinked and looked at Zero, who had suddenly gone pale and his body began to shake. "Whoa, dude, you okay man?"

Zero didn't respond, rather his legs gave out beneath him and fell to his knees, his hands clutching to his head and moaning in pain. Junpei's eyes widened as he saw glitching beginning to spark over his body like he was a television going nuts. The band in front didn't notice it somehow, but Junpei was hoping they didn't.

"Z-Zero!" Kirito yelled, worried and shocked about his friend's state. Junpei could hardly blame him, he had never seen anything like this before. Was he experiencing something in the real world that was causing this? Or was it some kind of glitch in the game?

He was really hoping it was the latter.

Slowly, the glitching vanished away from his body, however Zero still looked pale. "Are you alright man?" Junpei asked worriedly as he helped the bluenette to his face. "The hell happened just now?"

"I..." Zero said, blinking in confusion. His eyes were hazy and blank, half-lidded as if he had just woken up from a nap. "I dunno... It felt like... I remembered something..."

"Wait, seriously?" Junpei asked, mainly confused by his words. What did he mean by that?

"I never told you, did I?" Kirito said, supporting Zero on his right side. "Zero doesn't remember anything about his life, heck he doesn't even remember his own name in the real world."

Junpei and Asuna's eyes widened in sync, shocked by this. It was completely unheard of, especially considering the circumstances. Amnesia was an infliction on the brain, almost incurable in rare cases, however it should have been impossible on a game system.

"H-how..." Asuna asked, obviously in both disbelief and shock.

"I... I don't remember..." Zero said as he staggered back up to his feet. "Just now... I remembered something... It was... some kind of tower... and a name..." Kirito's eyes went up a few notches before Zero continued, and what he said had shocked Junpei to his core. "I this it was... Tartarus."

Junpei felt almost all of his strength get blown right out of him right then and there. It was like the whole world around him had just been torn away, and the reality in front of him had been made manifest. The signs, they were there, right in front of his face yet he never opened his eyes to it. The face, the personality, it was all completely obvious.

It was barely a whisper, not heard by others, but it was loud enough for Junpei himself to hear it, as plain as day. "M-Mina-tan...?"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a tall figure stood in the center of a giant room, colored white with a large view overlooking the entire Town of Beginnings. The man had white hair slicked back with an aged, yet wise face, wearing a flowing white and red outfit that resembled that of a preacher. Currently, he was looking at a shapeless figure adorned in flowing gold streams that took on the form of a person.<p>

"So, the skill has been given to him?" the man asked the figure, who nodded wordlessly. "Good."

_**Beg pardon, but what does that skill do exactly, signore?**_ the shapeless figure asked, his/her voice robotic and digital.

The man smiled as he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a brief moment before he opened them again. "It's a skill that can only be used with a Soul Data as unique as his. It can only be used when a special item, a Soul Crystal, is on hand." the man explained to the shapeless figure. "I'm sure you know its name, Cardinal?"

_**Of course I do, Mister Kayaba... the system administrator nodded in response. The skill given to Minato Arisato was...**_

* * *

><p>Once Zero had recovered from his strange yet sudden mental attack, they rejoined the group ahead of them and stood at the front of the gates leading to the boss. Junpei was nervous, but it wasn't just for the boss fight. Every now and then, he would glance over at Zero, who stood next to Kirito with his one-handed sword in his left.<p>

'_It just can't be...'_ Junpei thought as he shook his head. _'I mean, there's no way it could be him. He's still in the hospital! I even visited him the day I got SAO in the first place! So, how is it that...'_

"Junpei?" Zero's voice brought said Persona-user back to reality, and saw how worried the boy looked. "Are you alright? You've been quiet..."

"I-It's nothing, don't worry about it..." Junpei waved his hand, trying to pass off his grin. "Just can't wait to see just what we're dealing with is all..."

"Sure you are, Stupei..." Asuna muttered, making him face-fault while Zero tilted his head.

'_What the hell man?! First it was Yuka-tan, then Kenji, and now Asuna?! Why is it that either all the girls or my best buds keep calling me that damned nickname?!'_ Junpei thought angrily before getting his bravado back together. "H-hey, no need for the nicknames, okay...?" Junpei asked sweetly. "You know, I may haven't talked in a while, you've been dead quiet... Perhaps your the scared one?"

"As if."

'_Damn, she's got a sharp mouth for everything.'_ Junpei sighed. "Okay, okay, uncle, I give. Damn, you are seriously cold, you know that Asu-tan?"

For once, Asuna actually broke face and stared at him in confusion. "A-Asu-tan?"

"Yeah! One of my friends' name's is Yukari, and I call her Yuka-tan! My best bud's name is Minato, and I call him Mina-tan! So, if I shorten yours down to three letters, you get Asu-tan! Brilliant, no?"

However, like his similarities to Minato, Zero crossed his arms and spoke bluntly. "That's more like stupidity than brilliance."

Once again, Junpei face-faulted. "You're killing me here, Zero..."

Diabel's voice made them break their antics and look on ahead, the door to the boss opening up like the entrance to the final boss. "Okay everyone, get ready! Remember the plan!" he shouted, gripping his rapier tightly.

It wasn't until everyone was inside did the doors close, and appearing from the shadows was a giant crimson lizard with a metal helm on its head. In one hand was a giant mace with a leather buckle in the other. Standing all around him were multiple grunts with spiked weapons and wearing armor.

When the boss roared, it was total mayhem that had been unleashed in one second.

* * *

><p>Junpei barely had time to react as he skidded out of the way, dodging the strike from the boss' club. "Whew, talk about close!" he breathed a sigh of relief as he lifted his broadsword above his head, bringing it down on the boss' leg. "Payback's a bitch, huh you overgrown lizard!"<p>

The lizard took this offensively as he ran at him, club at the ready however his advance was halted by an assault of arrows. Junpei turned his head to see Zero, no longer hold a one-handed sword, instead he was using a bow and arrow. For a moment, Junpei swore he was seeing Yukari, considering how accurate he was. _'Damn, he's good...'_ the Persona-user thought, the memory of an old friend surfacing. _'Are you really...'_

"Ace, MOVE!"

Junpei returned to reality and looked over his shoulder to see the boss about to crush him with the club, however before Junpei could react, Asuna appeared in front of him, drawing her rapier from her sheathe to her hand. Everyone watched as a flurry of strikes and swift slashes came upon the boss, its health staggering down to its second bar, now in the yellow zone, the creature itself moving back. Asuna turned to Junpei with a glare that perfectly mimicked the same one Mitsuru gave, which immediately made him shudder. "Would you pay more attention, Stupei!"

"Would you quit calling me that!" Junpei retorted as he got back up, gripping his blade tightly. He looked back to see Zero handling himself pretty well, taking out the grunts with incredible skill alongside Kirito. However, what truly shocked the Persona-user was Zero's quick ability to switch between weapons. For long-range support attacks to keep the major heat off of Kirito, he used the bow, but when the two switched, he swapped weapons in a split second for either a sword as large as he was, a smaller blade, or even better yet, an axe. It was almost as if he had complete mastery of his weapons.

Needless to say, he was a force to be reckoned with, and Junpei dared not incur the wrath of this enigma with skill, lest he be killed. Zero seemed to take the movement and attack patterns of the enemy into consideration, switching when the timing seemed right and used each weapon effectively. One-handed swords dealt moderate damage with moderate accuracy and quick strike time, but two-handed swords were rather heavy, but dealt twice the damage. Axe's were powerful, but they were sluggish and heavy, while a bow was light with high accuracy, but unless you have a very powerful skill, you couldn't do all that much damage.

"Zero, behind you!" Kirito called out, leaving Zero to act immediately as he switched over to his one-handed sword and whirl around, lopping off the grunt's head.

Junpei was impressed, as was Diabel. "He must be using Instant Switch," the blue haired Player explained. "That's a skill that allows you to switch to your most used weapon in a few seconds."

Junpei whistled. "Sound's pretty handy!" And yet scary all at the same time. The more he watched Zero fight, the more reminiscent to that of Minato Arisato, his best friend, he became. Each grunt that had nearly managed to gain a hit was destroyed seconds later with amazing proficiency. When Junpei first met Minato, he fought without worry for his own safety; in fact he had no regard for his own life.

Zero fought exactly the same way, except this was very much different. He was protecting Kirito, very different from attacking an enemy with regard for himself. However, the more Junpei thought about it, the more he grimaced. He had to stop thinking about it, there was no way he and Minato were...

"We have it on the ropes, keep going!" Junpei looked to see the boss' HP was down to the second to last bar, still in the yellow zone. The boss skidded across the ground as it tried to attack, only to be met with heavy resistance. "Team B, switch with Team D!" Diabel shouted to the others. Junpei nodded as he and the others charged, clashing heavily with the enemy. Zero was the first to strike, switching for an axe. Each time the enemy tried to attack, he deflected it with ease and switched with Kirito, teaming up and dealing heavy blows. Asuna and Junpei switched with them, and hit just as hard. "Team A, help Team C!"

It wasn't long before the boss' HP was finally down to the last bar in the red. It growled angrily as it tossed its club and shield away, its arm reaching for the blade on its back. Junpei and Zero were about to jump in when Diabel ran forward, his sword drawn and glowing bright yellow. "I got this!"

"Wait, I thought we were going to take it down as a team!" Junpei shouted. His eyes widened when he saw the sword that was drawn, but none looked more surprised than Kirito, his face paling and running after Diabel. "Kirito, wait!"

"Diabel, stop!" he shouted, Zero running ahead of him with a spear equipped. "That weapon is-"

The enemy gave a loud howl before it leaped into the air, crashing into the ceiling and then launching off, smacking into the ground... right in front of Diabel. Time seemed to slow down as the boss made a move to cut Diabel in half. It was as if the reality of SAO was unraveling before them, a death game with hope shattered before their eyes, leaving only despair...

Zero's eyes were wide, his arm stretched out. Scenes played out before his head, horrifying images of him and several others strapped to a cross, a giant being with ebon black wings floating above him, and the most vivid...

Two bodies on a bridge, one lying on her side with blood leaking everywhere while another was inside of a burning car tossed onto its side, their arm outstretched from a shattered window. He could hear the screams of a child, crying out for his parents while he watched the world warp to a dark shade of green, the moon shining down eerily.

Then, it happened, a miracle unlike anything anyone had ever seen. It was as if salvation had finally reigned down upon them, giving them a hand of escape from their despair. And it came in the form of a instrumentalist of mysteries

* * *

><p>"Persona, a skill that can only be used by those with a Soul Crystal, a rare item found only in certain floors..." Kayaba smiled as he leaned back, watching the events unfold. "There are only fifteen, and each harbors a Persona that can aide its user in battle, so long as they possess the skill itself. And that skill can only be obtained by those who truly powerful Soul Data."<p>

The spectral being raised an non physical eyebrow, looking at the image with confusion._** If I may ask, what Persona did he summon?**_

At that, the creator of SAO gave a mysterious smile. "The Persona is named Orpheus..."

* * *

><p>(INSERT "This Will Be The Day", OPENING THEME OF RWBY)<p>

"Telos..."

Junpei breathed out the last part as if it were a name to be revered. Halting the boss' blade was a single, golden harp that was equally as big as Agil himself. Wielding it was a humanoid being with a mechanical body, save for its head. It held marble white skin, almost pure white like snow with azure blue eyes and sun kissed, brilliant gold hair that hid its right eye, much like Minato himself. Wrapped around its neck was a yellow scarf, almost mimicking the shade of its hair, while its body as an assortment of red, white, and gold. The upper torso was colored crimson red with a golden speaker implanted on its chest, similar colored mechanical joints connecting white limbs.

Zero was nowhere to be seen, but the being's fierce eyes were enough to tell Junpei that it held the same determination as he did. The Persona that was used by none other than the field leader and irreplaceable friend to S.E.E.S was standing before them, glaring at the boss with the fierce determination to protect.

"I..." Junpei's eyes widened, and his sword fell out of his hands. That voice... It was Zero's... No, he couldn't deny this anymore.

That was the voice of Minato Arisato. "I will kill you."

And then the boss howled in absolute rage as it backed away, its body skidding across the ground before it tried to begin its assault. With how quickly it moved, it was almost impossible to keep track of it. However, Orpheus Telos prepared the harp for a strike, and to everyone's surprise, the harp glowed.

"**Swift Strike**" The moment the boss was within range, a barrage of strikes, almost too fast to see, bombarded the boss, causing its assault to be repelled and its body staggering back. The boss' HP was reduced by at least 25%, yet it still showed no signs of giving up yet. When the strikes ended, the boss nearly fell on his rear, hunching over and giving Orpheus Telos a hard glare as it growled.

It was then that Diabel snapped out of his stupor and turned to his comrades. "Team A, Team D, give Zero support!" he shouted, and his voice gained an authorative tone, not unlike last time. "Team B, Team C, keep those grunts off of us!" Everyone cheered a chorus as Asuna, Kirito, and Junpei charged in with the other group, running to give Minato aide.

Junpei had so many things to tell him, to ask him, to show him. He wanted to tell him how much life had become, how annoying Yukari had been ever since he had left. He wanted to ask him how he came here, how he had been in all that time, how he felt. He wanted to show him how everyone was, how Yukari had been waiting for him all this time, how Ken wanted to see him again...

How everyone wanted to see him again.

When he stood at Minato side, he gripped his sword tightly and prepared himself for the oncoming end. _'Minato... when this is over...'_ A smile came to his face, though no one saw it. _'Let's meet everyone again... Yuka-tan, Akihiko-senpai, Mitsuru-senpai, Fuuka, Ai-chan, Koro-chan...'_

'_Let's be a family again after this!'_

CHAPTER END

Next Time: Deathly Howl of Grief


	3. Author's Note

**Author's Notice:**

Hello everyone, sorry to say, but this isn't a chapter.. This is for any questions that may or may not come up within the story, so I'll make it brief.

The first question people asked me was "Why is Kayaba trying to revive Minato?" Akihiko Kayaba wasn't just the developer of the Nerve Gear, he was also the one who designed the Evoker, thus he had extensive knowledge on the Dark Hour, in fact he was associated with the Kirijo Group. Also, due to various problems, I had to push back the timeline of SAO, so instead of it being 2020 something, it takes place a month after the events of FES: The Answer. This is mostly because I have plans for Minato to partake in the P-1 Grand Prix, but before that, I have to do the Sword Art Online arc, then the ALfheim Online arc, and then after the P-1 Tournament arc (basically Persona 4 Arena and Ultimax), the Death Gun arc!

Moving on to the second question, in regards to this story and its changes from the original storyline, yes the Beaters still exist, however it wasn't Kirito who formed them. Kirito's origins as a Beta-Tester are public knowledge in Chapter 3, however no one really gives a crap... except maybe that dick Kibaou. Also, I want to give Klein a more important role, so he'll be showing up more often. This goes especially for Silica, who had only a few appearances, and Lisbeth, the one who created Kirito's sword Dark Repulser.

Now for the third question, which involves this story and the future arcs. I will say this up front: Kirito and Asuna ARE going to be involved in the P-1 Tournament arc, meaning they will have Personas, however I am currently taking votes on what Personas they should have, so if you have any ideas, feel free to put them in. Also, each arc will be separated into different stories, so Other Self Online covers the Sword Art Online arc. Other Self Online: ALfheim Edition covers the ALfheim Online arc, and Other Self Online Ver.2 covers the Death Gun arc. A filler story titled "OSO World Tournament" will cover the events of Persona 4 Arena and Ultimax, featuring Minato, Kirito, and Asuna, as Other Self Online focuses specifically on them.

The last question I want to address is about the possibility of making this story longer than I plan to. It was about the video games Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment, and its sequel Hollow Fragment. I shall state this now, I have no intention of merging the two together, as I have never played Infinity Moment, mostly because it was never release here in North America, however I do have plans on owning Hollow Fragment. While I will not merge the storylines together...

That doesn't mean I can't make a stand-alone story about it. Ever since I saw the E3 trailer about Hollow Fragment, I've been dying to play it the moment I laid eyes on it, so once I have gotten my hands on it, I intend on creating a single-chapter "Movie" story, so to speak. Also, I need 3 OC's, you can type them in the review box or PM me. The format is this:

Name: (they can be like Asuna and use their first name)

Level: (must be between LV:80-LV:100)

Appearance: (armor, height, weight, hair color, eye color, skin complexion, etc... you get the idea)

History:

Reason for playing SAO:

Skills: (cannot have unique skills such as Divine Blade or Dual Wielding)

Once I have completed Hollow Fragment, the Movie Story shall be posted! Rest assured! Also, before I end this notice, someone had asked me about Minato's stats and skills, and why he was already level 99, as it technically makes him overpowered. That might be true, but that's only for the lower floors until he hits the tougher ones. I am making a guess that the level cap in SAO is 999, so basically this puts Minato at a disadvantage, as his level is already maxed out, I shall explain that later.

Name: Zero (real name: Minato Arisato)

Level: 99 MAX

Appearance: Zero stands at '5, 7" ft, wearing black slacks with leather boots reaching below the knee, and his standard tutorial gear with a black shirt, complete with the Cloak of Midnight he gained from the boss defeated the first floor alongside Kirito. He also wears a pair of leather fingerless gloves, and has a black strap over his face in the shape of an X. Also has blue hair that covers his right eye.

History: Zero had lost his parents at the age of 7 at the Moonlight Bridge, thus leaving him as an only child. He was bounced around from relative to relative until he was finally settled with a foster home. At the age of 17, he returned home to Port Island, where he attended Gekkoukan High School, and was noted to have several good friends, both in and outside of school. However, a year later, on the day of the graduation ceremony, Zero was placed into a coma, and has yet to wake up.

Reason for playing SAO: Currently Unknown, Subject Has Amnesia

Skills: (since I have no idea what skill is what, he'll have the same moveset as Kirito with the exception of those belonging to Dual Wielding) 1-Hand Sword Master Info: If user wields a one-hand sword, skills are twice as effective, and damage is increase by 1.5

2-Hand Sword Master Info: If user wields a two-handed sword, skills are twice as effective, and damage is increase by 1.5

Bulls-Eye Info: If user wields a bow, attacks have a 100% accuracy rate

Defense Shatter Info: If user wields an axe, they have a 25% chance of reducing enemy's DEF

Twin Strike Info: If user wields a spear, they can use the same skill twice in a row for 1 attack

Persona Info: A skill granted to those with unique Soul Data, the very essence of a person's being. Normally, players who obtain this skill can use only one Persona, however if the player's Data is strong enough, they can use multiple Personas. However, a requirement is that they need to possess items known as Soul Crystal, which carries a Persona inside of it.

- Orpheus Telos Innate Persona. STR+2, DEF+3, SPD+3, LCK+2, AGL+3, DXT+2, SKL+2

- Swift Strike Info: x3-x5 hits, low chance of Critical Hit

- Fatal End Info: Heavy Damage, med chance of Critical Hit

- Agilao Info: Med Damage, low chance of Burn, single target

- Sukukaja Info: Increases SPD and AGL for 3 minutes

- Matarukaja Info: Increases STR for all party members for 3 minutes

Well, until next time guys! Peace out!


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